Have you ever gotten up in the morning and wondered, "What's going to happen today?" Of course you have. We all have. We think about the meetings on our calendar, the errands we need to run, and the people we're going to see. We wonder if the day will bring good news or bad, whether things will go smoothly or fall apart.

But here's another question. Have you ever gotten up in the morning and asked yourself, "I wonder what good works God has in store for me to do today?" I confess that I think that thought much less often. It's not usually at the top of my mind when I'm pouring my first cup of coffee.

Yet that is exactly what this verse is telling us. God has prepared good works for us to do. They're already out there, waiting for us. Our job is simply to walk in them, to show up and be available for whatever opportunities God puts in our path.

The word "workmanship" is a beautiful one. It suggests that God is constantly shaping us, refining us, and making us into something useful and good. We are not finished products sitting on a shelf. We are works in progress, and the work that God is doing on us is connected to the work he wants to do through us. He gives us opportunities every day to be the hands and feet of Christ, to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in our own lives as well.

This is what new life in Christ looks like. It begins today, this very minute. What good works might you do? What kind words might you speak? Where can you help, show love, and extend kindness to someone who needs it? These are not grand assignments reserved for spiritual giants. They are the ordinary, everyday moments where God works on us and through us at the same time.

Our Father, bless me today and make me a blessing to someone else. Open my eyes to see the good works you have prepared for me, and give me the courage and the love to walk in them. Amen.

This devotional was written and recorded by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Reflecting on these words brings several things to mind. Notice that it says we are all children of the light. This is a reminder that we are called to shine God’s light in the world. We are His beloved children. We belong to Him. We are a product of His light. Whoa! There's real power in that statement. As His children, we should live a life, a life where we choose to have nothing to do with darkness.

We are to let God’s light shine through our thoughts and actions. Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations. For me, I find darkness and light struggling against each other in my thoughts. The hurt, disturbed, or angered side of me taunts me with negativity and usually some idea of fighting back or at least sharing my darkness. Quickly, though, I remember who I am and more importantly, “whose I am.” It may take courage and most definitely requires grace, but the darkness is pushed away, and the light shines. The beauty of God’s love and mercy brings me back to my mission as a follower of Christ, as a beloved child of God. That mission is to be a beacon of light. We must be awake, aware, think through our plans, and live alertly and with purpose.

Reading this scripture in the Message makes our choices clear.

Clearly, our lives of faith call us to reflect God’s light and hope to a dark and sometimes dreary world. Our light will be visible to others so that hope, love, and faith will be shared.

Remember to shine your light today and every day. We belong to “the Light.” Thanks be to God.

Gracious God, we pray that we have the grace and strength to shine our light boldly for others to see. May our light allow others to be drawn to life, a new life, where we live out your will and your call on our hearts. Drive our dark thoughts out and fill us with light and hope as your precious children. We humbly pray these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Lisa Blackwood.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

When Paul wrote these words, probably around 56 AD, he was in Macedonia on his third missionary journey with Timothy. The words above suggest he was dealing with difficult issues within the newly formed Corinthian congregation. He emphasizes the vast space between eternal and temporal problems.

I have pondered these words many times over the years. What are the ‘things that can’t be seen’? And why are they eternal?

I am reminded of a children’s book I read to our son and daughter when they were growing up. The book, by Shel Silverstein, named The Giving Tree, published in 1964, was a bestseller and is still in publication.

In the story, a boy and an apple tree are friends. The boy climbs up the tree, plays ‘king of the forest,’ swings from her branches, eats her apples, and sleeps in her shade. The boy loves the tree, and the tree is happy. But as the boy grows older, he spends more and more time away from the tree. When he does come to visit, he tells the tree he needs money, and the tree offers her apples. He takes the apples to sell, and the tree is happy. A long time later, the boy returns and tells the tree he needs a house. The tree offers her branches for lumber, and the boy cuts them and takes them away. And the tree is happy. After another long interval, the boy returns, a sad and aging man. He tells the tree he wants a boat to take him far away. The tree offers her trunk, and the boy cuts down the trunk to make a boat and sails away. And the tree is happy, but not really. Finally, the boy returns as an old man, and the tree, now a stump, has nothing to give him. But all he desires is a place to rest. And the tree offers her stump as a place of rest. The boy sits. And the tree is happy.

This story is a parable that has been interpreted in many ways. But it can be seen as symbolizing the relationship between God and humans. The boy’s body, as he ages, is breaking down every day. The boy seems to value only ‘the things that can be seen’: money, a house, a boat. But as he ages, he realizes that the things that can be seen are temporary. The things that can’t be seen—the eternal love that the tree holds for him— draws him back again and again. When he returns as an old man, he is seeking a place of rest and relationship. The tree, like God, is happy.

I live in a senior independent living community. All of us recognize that ‘our bodies are breaking down on the outside.’ The things that matter in our lives—love for friends, family, and our neighbors wherever they are—can’t be seen, but they are building up a stockpile of glory because they have eternal consequences. The kindness we show today can transform the life of a fellow human in ways we will never recognize, in ways that may even be eternal. Like the tree stump for the tired old man, we can still show love at this stage of life.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your sacrificial love. Thank you for welcoming us back again and again when we realize that material things do not bring happiness. Thank you for connecting us with the love that cannot always be seen but always transforms. Amen.

This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these...